Council Member's Message

As the City Council approaches the final days of budget setting for 2017, I believe it’s useful to highlight some aspects of this complex process. While the overall City budget is large, those dollars get broken down into specific department budgets. Each department is overseen by a Council committee that actively manages that department’s spending priorities and goals. Here is a small sample of the budgetary matters that I have been working on in the course of my committee work:

Transportation & Public Works

Due to our groundbreaking Streets & Parks funding agreement, the Public Works department is poised to significantly accelerate our infrastructure maintenance program beginning in 2017. This infusion of dollars will support the values we as a City have expressed through our Access Minneapolis Plan and our robust new Complete Streets Policy. Beyond that, the Public Works department will continue to have a key impact on sustainability in our City through their work on maintaining our water quality, innovating through stormwater infrastructure, and greening our City fleet.

Community Development & Regulatory Services

We have included significant resources for affordable housing projects and housing stabilization and these resources, such as the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, allow us to leverage additional dollars from outside resources and jurisdictional partners. The budget will also continue to support two important business support programs: B-TAP, the City’s business technical assistance program, and the newly-launched C-TAP, our co-op technical assistance program.

Public Safety, Civil Rights & Emergency Management

In addition to ensuring that we have a solid baseline of funding that supports the operations of the Second Precinct, I am particularly supportive of our funding for a new Co-Responder Pilot. This innovative program will pair Crisis-Intervention-trained police officers with mental health experts while responding to 911/CIT-related calls. This program, which was recommended by some strong community advocates as well as by the Police Conduct Oversight Commission (PCOC), offers significant promise as a de-escalation tool and I welcome its implementation, even as I encourage the Police Department to continue to seek new ways to foster a healthy community relationship.

There are still opportunities to make your voice heard on the City’s 2017 budget. In addition to the Dec. 7 public budget hearing at 6:05 in Room 317, City Hall, you can submit comments on the proposed budget online. All comments submitted online by 3 p.m. Dec. 6 will be entered into the public record and shared with the mayor and council members.

A Green Campus for Northeast Middle School

You may have noticed the recent transformation of the Northeast Middle School parking lot that fronts on 29th Avenue in the Audubon neighborhood. Inspired by Edison High School's Green Campus, Minneapolis Public Schools, Northeast Middle School (NEMS) and the Audubon Neighborhood Association (ANA) have teamed up with Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) to turn a large portion of the school's asphalt parking lot into a sustainably landscaped green space that will more effectively manage stormwater while also giving students a new curriculum resource. (Pictured at left: NEMS parking lot before the project).

Audubon Neighborhood Association applied for a planning grant from MWMO at the end of 2014 to create a water sustainability project that they could implement in collaboration with the school. Once a design was in place to remove 16,200 square feet of impermeable pavement and install a large raingarden, they applied for and received an action grant from MWMO.

The newly completed raingarden will clean stormwater run-off while also providing hands-on environmental learning opportunities for students. For more photos and information about this project, please click HERE. (Pictured at right: NEMS project just completed). 

City Increases Support for Affordable Housing

The City Council has approved revisions to the City’s investment policy in an effort to help preserve affordable housing in Minneapolis.

The policy change allows the City to invest in mortgage backed securities where the underlying mortgages are for properties that are “naturally occurring affordable housing” (NOAH) properties in Minneapolis. Naturally occurring affordable housing generally refers to unsubsidized multifamily rental housing affordable to households with incomes at or below 60 percent of the area median income ($51,480 for a family of four.)

Rents in NOAH units average between $500 and $1,200 per month. Minneapolis has about 23 percent of these affordable units in the seven-county metro area, roughly 38,000 units. The strong real estate market has made these properties more attractive to investors and subsequently led to dramatically higher rents at many buildings and a displacement of tenants who can no longer afford these increased rents.

Investments in NOAH properties could help finance 800 to 1,100 rental housing units in Minneapolis, depending on purchase prices. The investments would be guaranteed by agencies of the federal government, which have strict underwriting criteria. The guarantee of the federal agencies is necessary to make the mortgages eligible investments under state law. The goal is to help NOAH property owners reduce rents for tenants and invest in additional capital improvements in buildings.

City Passes Resolutions Affirming One Minneapolis

The City Council and Mayor Betsy Hodges have passed three resolutions affirming the tenets of One Minneapolis. The first was a resolution condemning violence and hate speech, and expressing solidarity with Muslims and all those targeted for their ethnicity, race or religion. The resolution recognizes that the United States was founded by immigrants, many fleeing religious persecution, who enshrined freedom of religion as one of the nation’s fundamental legal and ethical principles.

The second resolution declared November to be Transgender Awareness Month. The vote by council members came two days before the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, which honors the memory of those murdered because of anti-transgender prejudice.

The third was a resolution standing with all members of the one Minneapolis, rejecting the politics of division, bigotry, hate and fear. The resolution commits the City to fighting for the rights, freedoms and interests of all of the members of the Minneapolis community, no matter skin color, gender, the way of worship, birthplace, sexual orientation, or any other identity.

Get Ready To Shovel

Keeping our sidewalks free of ice and snow isn't just the neighborly thing to do, it’s the law. For your own benefit and to help your neighbors, people pushing strollers or using wheelchairs, and the many people in Minneapolis who walk, please do your part.

Minneapolis Ordinance requires the property owners clear sidewalks after a snowfall within:

• 24 hours for single family homes and duplexes
• Four daytime hours for apartments, commercial buildings and all other properties (daytime hours begin at 8 am)

When you shovel snow and clear ice:

• Shovel the sidewalks on all sides of your property, the full width of the sidewalk down to the bare pavement. 
• Remove all ice from sidewalks. 
• Pile snow into your yard and boulevard. It’s against the law to shovel snow into streets and alleys. 
• If you have a corner property, clear pedestrian ramps at the street corners and crosswalks to the street gutter. You are not required to clear snow ridges or piles left by the plows beyond the gutter. City crews will make an effort to return to do this work as quickly as possible, but with some 16,000 corners to clear across the City, it may take a while. However, your neighbors would appreciate it if you could clear the pile, or at least an opening sooner to help shorten the wait and provide a clear passage. 

Avoid the cost of the City clearing your sidewalk:

• If the City of Minneapolis gets a complaint or discovers that a sidewalk is not properly cleared, Public Works will inspect the sidewalk and give the property owners a chance to clear it. 
• If the sidewalk has not been cleared upon re-inspection, the property owner may be issued a citation with a fine, and crews will remove the snow and ice from the sidewalk. Property owners will be billed for this service, and unpaid bills will be added to property tax statements. 

Want to go the extra mile?

• Report snow and ice on sidewalks. 
• Are there neighbors on your street who are elderly, have a disability or may have a hard time shoveling for any reason? Work with your neighbors to give a hand and ensure your entire block is safe and accessible to all.

Water Bar Winter Social: December 3

In the past year many of you have had the opportunity to drop by the Water Barhttp://www.water-bar.org on Central Avenue in the Holland neighborhood to learn more about their work around the intersection of water sustainability and art, taste some water or participate in a workshop, art exhibit or public program. Local artists Shanai Matteson and Colin Kloecker have welcomed the community into the Water Bar and also taken their work out on the road, serving and talking about water with over 30,000 people across the United States.

Now it's time to celebrate the work they and their partners have done over the past year in concert with the community. Water Bar is hosting a Winter Social and Dance Party on Saturday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m. to midnight to thank friends and supporters and introduce new partners and projects for 2017. The event will feature family-friendly art activities from 6 - 7:30 p.m., followed by a program introducing the partners and talking about what's planned for the upcoming year, and ending with live music and dancing. For more information about this fun free event, visit http://www.water-bar.org/calendar-2/2016/12/3/winter-social.

Looking Back on Summer: Waite Park's Community Garden Stroll

The Waite Park neighborhood's annual Community Garden Stroll invited the public to visit and enjoy their large garden located on Canadian Pacific Railroad land.

This year's event featured a new twist, with a “Garden Chef” cook-off. Competitors were challenged with preparing dishes that featured zucchini. Visitors had the opportunity to sample the entries while they were judged by Minneapolis Public Schools’ Executive Chef Mark Augustine, Margo Ashmore of the Northeaster Newspaper and Council Member Reich.

In addition to delicious samples, the Stroll also featured garden tours and children's activities.

Senior Community Services' HOME Program

The Household and Outside Maintenance for Elderly (HOME) program offers senior homemaking services – vacuuming, dusting, sweeping/mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms, cleaning kitchens, and changing bed linens and more. This can also be a great relief to family members who find themselves balancing time to keep their own home comfortable.

We have Handymen available to provide assistance around the home. They can help with changing light bulbs, installing grab bars, fixing leaky faucets, repairing running toilets, installing new faucet and light fixtures, checking carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, changing furnace filters, and hanging wall decorations and mirrors. For more information on HOME or to schedule a FREE Home Health & Safety Assessment call 952-746-4046 or visit www.seniorcommunity.org.

Holiday Train Has New Location

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will be pulling into a new location this year on Saturday, December 10. The new stop will be near Lions Park at 37th Avenue NE and Stinson Boulevard, on the shared border of the cities of Minneapolis, Columbia Heights and St. Anthony Village.

This free community event, which is in it's 17th year, features live music, family activities and refreshments. The activities begin at 6 p.m. and the train arrives at 7 p.m. A free shuttle bus service will operate from St. Anthony Village City Offices and Community Center at 3301 Silver Lake Road, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Attendees are encouraged to bring monetary and/or healthy food donations and toiletries. Non-perishable items include cereal, low sodium canned goods, cooking oil, sugar, flour, dried fruit, condiments, crackers, tea, coffee, honey, pasta, rice and beans. All proceeds benefit the East Side Neighborhood Services Food Programs. Contact East Side at www.esns.org or 612-781-6011 for further information.

Save The Date

Water Bar Winter Social & Celebration
Saturday, December 3, 6 p.m. - midnight, Water Bar, 2516 Central Avenue NE. Enjoy live music, artwork and conversation about water at this celebration of the Water Bar's first year on Central Avenue. For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/1141346529248659/.

Edison Fall Musical: "The Wiz"
Thursday, December 8 - Saturday, December 10, 7 p.m., Edison High School Auditorium, 700 - 22nd Avenue NE.

2016 Canadian Pacific Holiday Train
Saturday, December 10, 6 - 7:45 p.m., Lions Park at 37th Avenue & Stinson Blvd. Enjoy a night of live musical entertainment, kids activities and refreshments while supporting the food shelves at East Side Neighborhood Services by bringing a cash or non-perishable food donation. NOTE THE NEW LOCATION.

Fix-It Clinic
Sunday, December 11, noon - 4 p.m., Grace Center for Community Life, 1500 6th St. NE. Get free, guided assistance on disassembling, troubleshooting and fixing broken household items. For more information, visit Hennepin County fix-it clinic’s webpage.

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For reasonable accommodations or alternative formats please contact Lisa Brock at lisa.brock@minneapolismn.gov or 612-673-2201. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to call 311 agents at 612-673-3000. TTY users can call 612-673-2157 or 612-673-2626.

Para asistencia 612-673-2700 • Rau kev pab 612-673-2800 • Hadii aad Caawimaad u baahantahay
612-673-3500.

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